Officials praised a teen who they say alerted an adult to Jack Sawyer's alleged plot to enter Fair Haven Union High School with a shotgun and kill students. The revelations came Friday, Feb. 16, 2018, as Sawyer was arraigned for attempted murder.
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Jack Sawyer, 18, of Poultney, appears in Vermont Superior Court in Rutland on Friday, Feb. 16, 2018, pleading not guilty to charges including attempted murder in connection with the threat of a mass shooting at Fair Haven Union High School.(Photo: RYAN MERCER/FREE PRESS)

RUTLAND, Vermont - "Like you know that I was going to shoot up my own school so I don't really have much remorse."

That message, according to a Vermont State Police affidavit, was one of many written by 18-year-old Jack Sawyer to a friend of his, a female student from Dutchess County.

Police in Vermont said Sawyer, a former student at Fair Haven Union High School, indicated he wanted to cause "mass casualties" at the Rutland County school of about 400 students in an attack he had been planning for two years.

Sawyer, who had purchased a 12-gauge shotgun and ammunition on Tuesday, intended to kill multiple students and a Fair Haven school resource officer, according to the affidavit.

And authorities credit the local student — who attends the Arlington Central School District — and the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office for helping to prevent the potential mass shooting, just days after 17 people were killed in an attack at a high school in Parkland, Florida.

Meanwhile, education and law enforcement officials stressed the importance of school resource officers, one of whom played a vital role in helping to prevent the potential Vermont shooting.

The Arlington student — who is not named in the affidavit — approached Dutchess Sheriff's Deputy Evan Traudt “reporting she had messages on her phone from someone plotting a shooting” at the Vermont high school.

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Arlington High School.(Photo: Nina Schutzman/Poughkeepsie Journal)

Traudt is a school resource officer in the Arlington district. He contacted Fair Haven police Thursday, and emailed them photos he took of the student’s messages, according to the affidavit.

“We are certainly proud of the student and our staff,” said Arlington Superintendent Brendan Lyons. “Trusting relationships are crucial in these situations. Every student should have at least one adult in school who they can trust and talk to.”

Capt. John Watterson of the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office said the situation "should serve as a perfect example of the good that coming forward can do. Anyone with information of this nature...please, please come forward. We can't urge you strongly enough."

The Sheriff's Office has eight school resource officers stationed in five local districts this year; three of the resource officers are in Arlington, which is the second-largest Dutchess district.

"A case like this is clear evidence of the value of having law enforcement readily accessible to schools," Watterson said. "This positive outcome is a direct result of that relationship and what can be accomplished when people do the right thing and everyone works together.

Jack Sawyer, 18, of Poultney, appears in Vermont Superior Court in Rutland on Friday, Feb. 16, 2018, pleading not guilty to charges including attempted murder in connection with the threat of a mass shooting at Fair Haven Union High School.(Photo: RYAN MERCER/FREE PRESS)

"We're very proud of Deputy Traudt, but we are especially proud of the young lady that came forward with the information," Watterson added. "Had it not been for her, this situation may have turned out very differently. The courage she showed to come forward is just unbelievable," and the fact that she did "potentially saved many lives."

Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro credited the “brave young lady” and local law enforcement.

“We can at times feel helpless and the act of speaking up can seem awkward or frightening,” Molinaro said. “This young woman summoned the courage to help and our Sheriff's Office acted professionally to assist in averting a tragedy.”

In a message to the Arlington student, Sawyer called the recent Florida massacre "fantastic" and said he supported the killing "100%," according to police.

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Jack Sawyer, 18, of Poultney, Vermont, pleaded not guilty in a court in Rutland on Friday, Feb. 16, 2018, to charges related to allegations that he planned a school shooting at Fair Haven Union High School and had bought a gun in preparation.
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Vermont Gov. Scott said: "Only by the grace of God and the courage of a young woman who spoke up did we avert a horrific outcome."

Rutland County State's Attorney Rose Kennedy on Friday extended a "very big thank you ... to the girl in Dutchess County, New York, who shared her text messages with local law enforcement," and to a Vermont mother, who called Fair Haven police with a tip that her daughter's friend was exhibiting strange behavior.

Police questioned Sawyer on Wednesday, after the Vermont mom's call, but could not find "enough evidence to further their investigation," according to the affidavit.

A day later, Traudt contacted Fair Haven police.

Vermont State Police say Jack Sawyer of Poultney, Vt., is scheduled to be will be arraigned at Rutland Superior Court on Friday, Feb. 16, 2018, on the charges of attempted aggravated murder/ attempted 1st degree murder / attempted aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. in connection with threat of a school shooting at Fair Haven High School.(Photo: Courtesy Vermont State Police)

Sawyer, who hardly spoke during the arraignment Friday, was ordered held without bail.

Prosecutors charged him with two counts of attempted aggravated murder, one count of attempted first-degree murder and one count of attempted aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The charges state Sawyer recently purchased a 12-gauge shotgun and ammunition, and specifically intended to kill multiple students and the school resource officer.

Sawyer detailed his plot in a journal he titled "Diary of an Active Shooter," Vermont State Police Maj. Glenn Hall said during a news conference Friday afternoon.

Sawyer faces up to life in prison if convicted of the felony charges.

The Affidavit

The following outline of the case appears in the sworn affidavit, written by Vermont state police Detective Sgt. Todd Wilkins:

A tip came Monday to Fair Haven police Detective Shaun Hewitt from a young woman who was friends with Sawyer and reported his "demeanor seemed strange." Hewitt also learned from the young woman that Sawyer had made previous threats against the high school; had purchased the shotgun from Dick's Sporting Goods in Rutland; and recently had left a treatment facility in Maine.

David Sawyer, the suspect's father, told police Wednesday that Sawyer returned from Ironwood, a center for troubled teenagers in Maine, to get a job. At Ironwood, Sawyer was treated for Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder and depression, according to the father.

Wednesday night, Fair Haven police said they investigated a tip involving violence against Fair Haven Union and responded by restricting access to the high school and sending sports teams returning from away games to other locations rather than back to school.

Chief William Humphries said in a statement that night that police located "all parties" involved "and were unable to substantiate any threat against the school." But, the chief added, the inquiry would continue.

The next day, Thursday, the investigation intensified when Traudt alerted Fair Haven police of the messages received by the Arlington student.

In Facebook messages attributed to Sawyer, he wrote about the contradiction in his life of trying to start fresh when "just a few days ago I was still plotting on shooting up my old high school."

The Arlington student urged Sawyer not to make "impulsive decisions."

"I wouldn't consider them necessarily impulsive because it's been the plan for like 2 years," Sawyer replied. He wrote that he was tired of dealing with life's problems, like a lousy job, "so it's like why not end it a lil early. But oh well, I'll manage."

The discussion turned to the shooting in Parkland, Florida, which Sawyer described as "natural selection taken up a notch."

"That's fantastic. 100% support it," Sawyer wrote regarding the incident in which 17 students, teachers and staff were killed.

In the messages he indicated he was living out of his car, was hungry and had stopped taking medication.

After reading the texts, state police detained Sawyer.

In an extensive interview with police, Sawyer admitted to a fascination with the April 20, 1999, Columbine High School shooting in Colorado: He had read about it, and had used it as a model for his detailed plans.

Sawyer's fixation on killing his classmates led him to try to contact a student who attended the Parkland high school, "because he wanted to know how it made her feel and what it felt like being inside the school."

The suspect's preparations, police said, included making a kill list that began with plans to shoot school resource officer Scott Alkinburgh "before he can kill me or stop me," Sawyer wrote in his journal.

Others on Sawyer's "Top of the should have died list" were current and former Fair Haven Union High School students.

Sawyer told police he "intended to follow through with his plan no matter what." Dates he considered for the attack included March 14 and April 20, to mark the Columbine massacre anniversary, police said.

Investigators said Sawyer told them his attack "may not be next week, next month or even next year, but eventually he will carry out his plan."

Sawyer was being held at Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility in Rutland.

The investigation is continuing with help from the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Vermont State Police are seeking to speak with anyone who was in contact with Sawyer in recent weeks.

Lawyers said Sawyer is due back in court next week for a hearing about whether he should remain in custody.